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Eight Million Ways to Happiness
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Description
Everyone's in the pursuit of happiness, but few know how to attain it. Millions around the world have turned to Japan for advice on finding their Ikigai, or summoning The Courage to Be Disliked. Japan's spiritual traditions hide in plain sight, forming the basis of so much of what we love about the country's culture. Without Japan's spiritual sustenance, Jiro wouldn't dream of sushi; Hayao Miyazaki's films wouldn't spirit us away; and Marie Kondo wouldn't spark joy.
In Eight Million Ways to Happiness, Hiroko Yoda offers the culmination of her decade-long odyssey into the spiritual heart of her homeland. Readers follow Hiroko as she trains as a Shinto shrine-dancer, partakes in Buddhist funeral rituals, ascends holy mountains with Shugendo ascetics, and meets one of Japan's last living itako, a traditional mystic. Her stories – personal, cultural, and historical – are packed with life lessons for all.
Hiroko awakens readers to the idea of a traditional spiritual flexibility that seamlessly coexists with the modern secular world, fortifying us through life's inevitable ups and downs. We are all subject to forces beyond our control, but we are also part of a bigger natural system that can strengthen us – if we learn how to reconnect with it.
Product details
| Published | 01 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 320 |
| ISBN | 9781526672162 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Tonic |
| Dimensions | 216 x 135 mm |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Eight Million Ways to Happiness is a timely and moving pilgrimage through Japan's ancient spiritual traditions. As she navigates the terrain of her own grief in the wake of her mother's death, Hiroko Yoda shows us how we might ease our own suffering and reawaken a profound appreciation of the beauty of the world
RUTH OZEKI, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of A Tale for the Time Being
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A fascinating dive through hidden layers of the Japanese worldview
KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering
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A beautiful exploration of Japanese spirituality. With wise insights and meditative personal stories, Yoda inspires us all to be more intimately connected with nature – and with ourselves
SHUNMYO MASUNO, author of Zen: The Art of Simple Living
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Hiroko Yoda dives into Japanese spirituality with an open heart and a lively, questioning mind. What she discovers is religion with a lowercase r: guidance rather than rules, generosity instead of judgement. Please know: No woo-woo spiritual blather here! Yoda's footing in cultural history and talents as a storyteller set this book apart and above
MARY ROACH, New York Times-bestselling author of Gulp and Stiff
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Transcendently intimate. A personal journey of remembrance and healing leads to a heightened exploration of the mystic realms of Japan. Yoda provides insights into Japanese spiritual lore as well as practical lessons in opening yourself to comforting unseen presences that can change your life
ALFRED BIRNBAUM, translator of Haruki Murakami























